In the quest to find the right product, consumers today have a dizzying array of options. From the hundreds of websites offering similar products to the flood of marketing messages and search options that they are inundated with, the buying process has become a sea of choices.

To help shoppers wade through it all and find what they are looking for quickly and conveniently requires that companies create an intuitive search and navigation experience. On the front end, Google and other search engines are doing a great job directing traffic to the right sites; however, the struggle for many eCommerce retailers is providing a satisfying internal search solution. 

Recognizing this as an opportunity rather than a roadblock, both iGoDigital and Google have developed on-site search solutions that eliminate unneccessary clicks and speed shoppers through the sales funnel to conversion. 

July 11th Google announced to the world it's new search feature for eCommerce retailers, "Search As You Type". Building off its expertise and success with Google Instant for the popular search engine, Google is able to bring the same predictive results to your website as a stand alone solution. 

In a quieter launch about 2 months earlier on May 22nd, iGoDigital debuted its own custom eCommerce solution for site search, dubbed "Guided Search". Focused on addressing the three pillars of effective site search, Guided Search brings speed, relevance and interactivity to the shoppers fingertips.

Some key features of both Search As You Type and Guided Search:

• Cloud based SaaS accesible to online retailers
• Implementation consists of integrating a simple Javascript Code on a retailer's website
• Drop down menu from the search box displays results in real-time

Some key differentiators:

• The Google product is currently only available to Adwords customers.
• The Guided Search drop down menu box displays product page results in one pane with customizable filters on the adjacent pane for further refinement in real-time
• Guided Search results are based on both popular results related to the user's query as well as the shopper's cookie data and individual profile insights. Google's results are based on the most popular and relevant results related to the user's query.
• Guided Search offers fully customizable formatting and styling which allows the application to reflect brand/site look and feel for seemless experience

In a time when consumers are in danger of being overwhelmed by choices, Ecommerce tools like those above can mean the difference between consumers disengaging with your site or continuing through to conversion. 

Want to Learn More?

Check out this great blog, see the video below, or search for yourself and learn how upgrade your search functionality.